Several wounded military personnel took a break in the water with some dolphins during the completion of a cycling event this weekend.
The soldiers arrived in Marathon as part of the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride. Several personnel, caretakers, and supporters then arrived at the Dolphin Research Center on Sunday to share kisses, high fives and flipper shakes with the animals.
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"The dolphins are really funny, and they’re a lot like people," said soldier James Smith, an Army specialist who suffered a traumatic brain injury during his deployment to Iraq. "Just imitating what the dolphins do, that was fun, because they do whatever you did, so that was fun to see all the stuff that they're trained to do."
The day in the water was one of the final events to conclude the event that started Friday in Miami and ended this weekend in Key West. Many of the veterans, who lost on or more limbs in battle, used bikes with special equipment to help them participate in the event.